My name is Yemi , and I grew up faster than most kids my age. While others my age were focused on school, I was focused on survival. Yes, I had parents  ones who could afford to give me an education but they were too caught up in their own battles to notice we, their children, were slowly breaking apart.

I had to drop out in SS2 because no one was listening, no one was helping. I became a sales rep just to feed myself and save up for Neco, since writing WAEC felt like a distant dream. That job wasn’t easy. But for someone who had no other option, it became my lifeline.

After NECO, I knew I had to do more. I went to learn hairstyling not because it  was my dream, but because I needed something that could keep me afloat. In a few months, I grasped the basics and started working. Every little amount I earned, I saved. That’s how I was able to send myself to university, without a single contribution from my parents.

Today, I’m in school still training myself, still fighting silently. It’s not easy. Some days, my mental health feels like it's hanging by a thread. But even in the middle of this storm, I keep going. Not because I have to, but because I refuse to give up on myself.